Kawtar Ehlalouch
Ekhlas Ahmad, a refugee, fled Sudan when she was 12 years old. Together with her parents she left the country to go to America because of the genocide that was, and still is going on there. She wrote an inspiring letter to thank Ellen Degeneres, for helping her learn English as she grew up in the United States.
Here’s what she wrote:
“Dear Ellen,
my name is Ekhlas Ahmad, I am a refugee from Sudan, when I came to America 10 years ago I didn’t speak a word of English. On my first day of school I got off at the wrong bus stop, and I was lost for 8 hours. From that day on, I made it my mission to learn English. I stayed after school everyday with my English teacher and I would watch your show and memorize what you said, write it down and tried to learn from it. With so much negativity in the world, all I had to do, was turn on your show and be happy for an hour. Today I’m happy to say I graduated high school and college.
Thank you Ellen, for being there every step of the way,
love Ekhlas.”
Thanks to her admirable persistence, Ekhlas is now getting her master degree in English at college and is teaching English as a Make-It-Happen educator and mentor at a high school. She believes in the importance of being a role model for her students because when she was their age, she didn’t have someone that was an immigrant to set an example or to look up to.
After Ellen received the letter, she couldn’t help but be moved by her story, so she decided to invite Ekhlas to the show.
Because she has shown so much love towards Ellen, Ellen decided to support her in the most awesome way possible. A calendar that Ekhlas made with her students will from now on be sold in The Ellen Shop and –the best part- Ellen is paying off her college loan with an incredible amount of $22 000.
Her story is truly inspiring. It’s great for Ekhlas to stand up as a role model, reminding society of the potential and value that refugees bring to another country. So, let’s help them and give them the chances they deserve. Just like Ellen did.
Check out the full interview below:
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